Mechanism for operating slidable flexible shutters



@da Q, w35@ F. REPETTQ ET AL MECHANESM FOP. lOPERATING SLIDABLE FLEXIBLE SHUTTERS Filed DBC. 26, 1935 2 SheetS-Sheet l Oct. 9, 1934 F. REPETTO Er AL, l 1,976,414

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING SLIDABLE FLEXIBLE SHUTTERS v Filed Deo. 26, 1955 2 sheets-sheet '2 cs2-fri fPatented Oct. v9,

Y 1,976,414 MECHANISM 'Foa OPERATING sLrDALE FLEXIBLE SHUTTERS Francisco Repetto, Horacio Guillermo Repetto, and Enrique Francisco Repetto, Buenos Aires,

Argentina Application December 26, 1933, Serial No. 704,018

'7 Claims;

The present invention refers to an improved mechanism for the operation of slidable, flexible shutters used for protecting doors and windows;

The principal object of our invention is to provide an improved mechanism of a very simple, but effective construction, particularly adapted to be used in connection with doors and windows comprising incorporated therein aslidable, flexible shutter. v

Diiferent shutter operating mechanisms have been proposed which, however, inpractice have proved to be disadvantageous for various reasons, be it that they require a very complicated and expensive apparatus employing friction rolls, or be it that they require noisy chain gears and molesting sprocket wheel, without taking into consideration that the last mentioned mechanism is not adapted to cooperate with simple flexible bands. or belts as are necessary forrlifting land lowering the shutter as hereinafter to be described.

An important object of kour invention is to sub--V lstitute the complicated friction apparatus by a -special, but simple gear adapted to directly engage ,-a flexible band or belt for the operation of va slidable shutter, without that said belt being damaged or readily worn out by the engagement of said gear.

lAnotherobject of the invention is to'provide a shutter lifting or operating mechanism adapted to cooperatesimultaneously with twoor more bands or like means constituting the mechanical connection between said mechanism and the slidable shutter to be operated thereby. This feature isfof considerable importance as far as relatively broad shutters are concerned, operation of which by means of a single belt would tend toproduce distortion and diiiiculties in lifting and lowering the same.

A further object' of our invention consists in that the band operating gear may be operated directly by a detachable handle or in that one of the toothed wheels of said gear is mounted on a shaft to be operated in a known manner and adapted to carry two or more of such wheels'and to thus operate two or more gears, if this is considered to be convenient.

Another feature of this inventionresides in the provision of stopper means permitting to retain the shutter in any desired position, and still another object of our invention is to provide means'for determining the way to be taken by the band or belt which constitutes thek mechanical connection between the operating gear and the slidable shutter to be operated. Y Y l.

With these objects view, andoth'ers 'which will appear as the specification proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of con-Y struction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate two embodiments of our invention and wherein like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different views:

Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly fragmentary and sectional, showing the shutter operating mechanism applied to a combination door, ac-

cording to our invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the door structure illustrated in Figurel; k

Figure 3 is a detail View, partly fragmentary, of the shutter operating gear in engagement with a beltfor lifting and loweringV VFigure 4 is a front elevation, partly fragmentary and sectional, showing the shutter operating the shutter;

mechanism applied to a combination window, ac-

cording to'our invention; and

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional View of the window structure illustrated in Figure 4.

With reference to the accompanying drawings,

and more particularly to Figure 3, the proper shutter lifting mechanism, according to our invention, comprises a toothed wheel 1 iixedly mounted on a hollow shaft 2 adapted to receivea detachable handle (not shown) and to be operated by the latter. r Said to operates with a second identic othed wheel 1 coal toothed wheel 3 loosely mounted on a Xed shaft 4. Both shafts 2 and 4, respectively, are mounted on a common bracket 5 secured to a supporting plate 6, to which plate afurther bracket '7 is secured for supporting a loose roll y8, cooperating with said gear 1, 3 aswill be hereinafter described.

According to what has been in Figure 3, the wheels l and 3 have relatively clearly illustrated widely spaced teeth with round edges and relatively straight body portions.

The arrangement of one wheel with regard to the other is such that a flexible hempen or jute band or belt 9 may be passed between said two wheels in such a way the two wheels. Figure 3 clea in the condition ofa tooth eXte rly illustrates that nding between two adjacent' teeth ofthe cooperating wheel, there is'a'clea'r passage left for the b elt 9 without there 110 being any tendency for cutting or otherwise damaging the latter. Thus it will be understood that when rotating the wheel 1, the same in cooperation with the loose wheel 3, will move the belt 9 up or downwardly in the direction of its rotation.

The belt 9, coming from the slidable shutter, as shown in Figure 2, in order to pass between the gear 1, 3 is turned through a right angle around its own axis, and for the purpose of reestablishing its proper direction, the same after leaving said gear is passed over the loose roll or pulley 8 and then to continue its way as will be hereinafter explained.

In order to broadly describe the operation of the slidable shutter by means of this shutter lifting mechanism in cooperation with the belt 9, we now refer to Figures 1 and 2, illustrating the application of said mechanism to a' combination door. The door comprises an upper portion having a easement 10 and a lower portion with double panels forming a casing 11 destined for receiving and hiding a slidable shutter 12 in its lowered position, as shown in Figure 2, whereas Figure 1 illustrates the shutter 12 in lifted position. Both portions are connected by an intermediate cross bar 13, in a central cavity of which is fixed the supporting plate 6 carrying the proper shutter lifting mechanism.

The slidable shutter to be used in connection with said mechanism, is composed of a plurality of small horizontal rods connected to each other by a flexible band passing through corresponding perforations provided in the central part of each rod and extending beyond the lower end rod of the shutter. This exible band, in the present embodiment of our invention, forms an integral part of the belt 9. The way described by this belt is clearly illustrated in Figure 2; the same at one end is fixed to the upper shutter rod 14, proceeds through the whole shutter 12 beyond the lower shutter rod 15, then passes through the shutter lifting mechanism, namely, between the toothed wheels 1 and 3, turns around the loose roll 8 into the casing 11 in the lower door portion, where it passes over a pulley 16 on a loose shaft 17 conveniently supported in brackets 18 fixe-d to the side pieces of the door frame, and finally is secured to the inner surface of the lower shutter rod 15. Thus the ends of the belt 9 are fixed to the upper and lower shutter rods, respectively, and it will be readily understood that when operating the' gear 1, 3 by means of a detachable handle, the belt 9 by its being moved through said gear, will lift or lower the shutter as desired.

In order to retain the slidable shutter in any desired position, any kind of stopper means may be used in connection with the'lifting mechanism, for instance, we may provide a butterfly screw (not shown) passing through a corresponding threaded hole in the bracket 5 and adapted to be forced against the body portion of the wheel 3 so as to nrmly retain the latter and simultaneously the belt 9 together with the shutter 12. We have not shown said stopper means as the saine is of known type and may be readily substituted by any convenient device.

A second embodiment of our present invention has been illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, showing the application of our shutter lifting device to a combination window. It will be appreciated that the shutter incorporated in window structures, according to the size of the latter, are relatively broad, and that on account hereof and in order to secure an easy operation of the shutter, in most of the cases it is not advisable to lift or lower the shutter employing but one operating belt provided in the central part thereof, that on the contrary it will often be necessary to operate the shutter at two points, namely, at each side, simultaneously.

For this reason it is necessary to slightly modify the arrangement of the belt operating gear, so that two such gears may be employed, one at each side of the shutter 12. In this new embodiment, the shutter lifting mechanism comprises a usual angular gear conveniently mounted on a bracket or supporting plate 19 fixed to the sillboard 20 of the window structure, said gear being composed of the gear wheel 21 mounted on a Vhollow shaft for being operated by a detachable handle (not shown) and of the gear wheel 22 mounted on the shaft 23, which at both ends is mounted on the plates 24 or like supporting means fixed to the side elements 25 of the window casing. Near each end of said shaft, we provide a toothed wheel 1' cooperating with a second loose toothed wheel 3', these wheels being identical to those forming the gear 1, 3 shown in Figures 1 and 2, and more particularly in Figure 3.

These toothed wheels 1 and 3' at each side of the window structure cooperate with endless belts 26 conveniently fixed to the upper shutter rod 14 at each end thereof, and passed over loose pulleys 24 mounted on corresponding shafts secured to the side elements 25 of the window casing immediately below the upper cross bar 27. Thus by means of these belts 26 and the belt operating gears 1', 3', the slidable shutter 12 may be readily moved up and downwardly along the way of said belts 26 between the sill-board 20 and the upper cross bar 27 of the window structure.

The Yproper engagement of the gears 1', 3 has been broadly described with reference to Figure Sand the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, so that a further description thereof is not considered to be necessary.

It will be understood that the present invention is by no means limited to the specific embodiments as hereinbefore described and as shown on the accompanying drawings, but that modications may be introduced as to the arrangement and form of the different component parts of the device and in other respects, without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following` claims.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is: Y

1. A mechanism for operating slidable, ilexible shutters in combination doors and windows, comprising a exible belt for lifting and lowering said shutter, cooperating toothed wheels, means for supporting and operating said wheels, said flexible belt being moved up and down by said toothed wheels, and means for determining the path to be taken by said exible belt.

2. A mechanism for oper-ating slidable, ilexible shutters in combination doors and windows, comprising a flexible belt for lifting and lowering said shutter, cooperating toothed wheels, having teeth with round edges and relatively straight body portions and being so arranged with respect to each other that no cutting action is exerted on said flexible belt to be operated by said toothed wheels, means for supporting and operating said wheels, and means for determining the path to be taken by said flexible belt.

Cil

3. A mechanism for operating slid-able, flexible shutters in combination doors and windows, comprising a flexible belt for lifting and lowering said shutter, cooperating toothed wheels, having teeth with round edges and, relatively straight body portions and being so arranged with respect to each other that no cutting action is exerted on said flexible belt, the disposition being such that the latter is moved up and down by the body portions of the cooperating wheel teeth, means for supporting and operating said wheels, and means for determining the path to be taken by said flexible belt.

4. A mechanism for operating slidable, flexible shutters in combination doors, comprising a flexible belt for lifting and lowering said shutter, cooperating toothed wheels, having teeth with round edges and relatively straight body portions and being so arranged with respect to each other that no cutting action is exerted on said belt, the disposition being such that the latter is moved up and down by the body portions of the wheel teeth, a hollow shaft in one of said wheels adapted to be operated by a detachable handle, a fixed shaft for the other wheel which is loosely mounted thereon, a bracket for supporting both of said shafts, said bracket being fixed to the intermediate cross bar of the door structure, a loose roll on said bracket, and a pulley mounted on a loose shaft in the lower door portion for determining the path to be taken by said flexible belt, for lifting and lowering the shutter.

5. A mechanism for operating slidable, flexible shutters formed with horizontal rods in combination doors, comprising a flexible belt for lifting and lowering said shutter, cooperating toothed wheels having teeth formed with round edges and relatively straight body portions for the proper operation of said flexible belt by said wheels, a flexible band connecting to each other all said horizontal rods, a hollow shaft in one of said wheels adapted to be operated by a detachable handle, a fixed shaft for the other wheel which is loosely mounted thereon, a bracket for supporting both of said shafts, stopper means provided in said bracket cooperating with one of said wheels, said bracket being xed to the intermediate cross bar of the door structure, a loose roll on said bracket, and a pulley mounted on a loose shaft in the lower door portion for determining the path to be taken by said flexible belt, for lifting and lowering the slidable shutter.

6. A mechanism for operating slidable, flexible shutters in combination windows, comprising flexible belts for lifting and lowering the shutter, pairs of cooperating toothed wheels, having teeth formed with round edges and relatively straight body portions for the proper operation of said flexible belts, one wheel of each pair of said toothed wheels being mounted on a common shaft, an angular gear associated with said common shaft, a handle to be applied to said angular gear for actuating said shaft and hence the toothed wheels thereon, the second wheel of each pair of said toothed wheels being loosely mounted .on a supplementary shaft, said shafts each being supported by a bracket fixed to the side elements of the window casing, said flexible belts constituting the mechanical connection between said pairs of toothed wheels and the slidable shutter, and means determining the path to be taken by said flexible belts for lifting and lowering said shutter.

7. A mechanism for operating slidable, flexible shutters in combination windows, comprising 100 flexible belts for lifting and lowering the shutter, pairs of cooperating toothed wheels, having teeth formed with round edges and relatively straight body portions for the proper operation of said llexible belts, one Wheel of each pair of said 105 toothed wheels being mounted on a common shaft, an angular gear associated with said common shaft, a detachable handle in combination with said angular gear for actuating said shaft and hence the toothed wheels thereon, the second 110 wheel of each pair of said toothed wheels being loosely mounted on a supplementary shaft, said shafts each being supported by a bracket fixed to the side elements of the window casing, said flexible belts constituting the mechanical connection between said pairs of toothed wheels and the slidable shutter, and loose pulleys fixed to the upper part of each of said side elements for conducting said ilexible belts through the upper portion of the window structure, for lifting and 120 lowering the slidable flexible shutter.

FRANCISCO REPETTO. HORACIO GUILLERMO REPETTO. ENRIQUE FRANCISCO REPETTO. 

